Thredbo is an Australian ski resort, located at Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales. The spot has the steepest overall terrain of any ski resort in mainland Australia while it offers the highest lifted point at 2037 m/6683 ft.
Since Thredbo Village is situated in the Crackenback Valley and due to its low altitude at 1365 m/4478 ft, the ski resort does not always hold enough quantity of snow on the lower half of the mountain as a result of higher temperatures. However, temperature inversions at night and below zero temperatures still enable snow making.
Nonetheless, Thredbo holds the largest snow-making system in the Southern Hemisphere, serving up to 65 ha/0.65 km² of trail. The system serves the following areas: the Super-trail, Friday Flat, High Noon, The Cruiser area’s Walkabout and Ballroom, Lovers Leap bypass, World Cup and Lower True Blue. Thredbo has 14 lifts making skiers not to wait in the queue in order to reach quickly their peak for their next descent.
Thredbo offers more than 50 skiing runs while a standard 3-colour grade system for practitioners is available: green for beginners, blue for intermediate users and black diamond for the advanced ones. The longest continual run is from the top of Karel’s T-Bar to Friday Flat. This run covers a 5.9 km / 3 mi long distance!
However, this distance comprises several trails. Crackenback Super-trail is the longest run that the location offers and it represents the longest one in Australia. The most difficult run in Thredbo is considered to be Funnel Web, a notorious trail for its near-vertical middle section and bumps and moguls. On the third weekend of August, the annual “Ski in the buff” event takes place.
This event attracts thousands of skiers, who ski down the spot naked in order to raise money for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Thredbo is a busy small town with lodges, shopping centers and nightlife clubs. A free shuttle bus service during winter is available to everyone who wish to move between the Valley Terminal and Friday Flat as well as to the majority of the ski lodges.
